Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-09
HUNTING THE MAN EATER.


A Cunning Brute, Before which People
Are PowerIess-Comedy and Tragedy.
An old man eater develops an amount
of cunning which is simply appalling. 1t
never remains for any length of time IN
one place, but necessarily travels from
one village to another, concealing itself
with the utmost art, carrying OIL one OF
the inhabitants and Immediately making
its way to some distant spot. A single
tiger has been known TO paralyze tn
angular district of some forty miles In
extent. The natives feel themselves
powerless. Their only real hope lies in
the European, whom they desplse and
abhor as an unbeliever, but respect for
his powers Mounted on trained elephants
and guided by native trackers, mostly
belonging to the Bheel tribe, the English
hunters first discover the beast in its
hiding place. A man eating tigress had
been tracked for four days by the Bheels,
and at last ''harbored. As the party
approached the tigress charged them and
then reireated to the thicket. The ele-
phant was taken through the cover, but
the tigress had slipped out.
On making a ''cast" to discover the
lost track fresh footprint Of tiger was
seen over that of the elephant. Again
circuit was made and with the same re-
suit. Completely puzzled, the Bheel was
about TO start of on foot in search Of the
track, when one of the hunters happened
TO look back and saw the tiger crouching
behind the elephant and scarcely visible.
The crafty animal had been creeping
after the elephant, waiting for an oppor-
tunity Of pounoing on the Bheel as soon
as he left the shelter. Had il not been
for the casual glance by which the posi-
ton of the animal was detected the de-
vice would have been successful. As it
was. the hunter placed a bullet between
her ewes as she was watching the Bheel.
whom she instinctively knew to be the
real element Of danger TO her. The ex-
ultation Of the little man may he con-
ceiyed.
Comedy and tragedy go hand in hand
in these hunts. An amusing example Of
the former is given by the same traveller.
A tiger had been wounded, but, al
it made its way into a patch of high
grass and hid there. Guided by the
Bhecls, the elephant entered the grass
patch for the purpose of driving out the
tiger. The cunning animal allowed the
party TO pass and then sprang at one Of
the Bheels. "a little, hairy, handy legged
man. more like satyr than a human
being" The Bheel dashed at the nearest
tree, and, owing TO the broken leg of the
tiger. was able Ia climb out of reach.
Finding himself safe. the Bheel com
menced philippe against the father,
dren Of his helpless enemy, which sat
with glaring eyeballs fixed on his con-
temptible little enemy and roaring as if
his heart would break with rage. As the
excited orator warmed by his own elo-
quence, he began skipping from
branch TO branch, grinning and
4 chattering with the emphasis of an
ehraged baboon; pouring out a tor
rent of the most foul abuse and attrib-
uting to the tigers family in general and
his female relative in particular every
crime and atrocity that ever was or will
he committed. Occasionally he varied
his insults by roaring in imitation Of the
tiger; and at last. when fairly exhausted,
Ec leaned forward till he appeared TO be
within the grasp Of the enragcd animal.
and ended this ininitable scene by splitting
in his face. Rev. j. q. Wood in Good
| Words.